Aug 9, 2021 | ADVOCACY
For the next several issues of Northern Light, we’ll profile organizations that have received grants from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and detail how they are using them to increase awareness about problem gambling. Our first feature focuses on the Minneapolis Neighborhood Youth Academy.
The Minneapolis Neighborhood Youth Academy (MNYA) is taking a three-pronged approach to their efforts to raise awareness about gambling to youth of color in North Minneapolis.
The first part is the creation of a video, released on Memorial Day weekend, that focuses on the concept of risk and making good choices. The video is viewable on https://justaskmn.org/ and was produced in collaboration with Danami, Russell Herder, Minnesota Prep Academy and the Minnesota DHS.
The second phase involves distributing the video through social media so that it reaches youth in the way they access information using their devices — everything from TikTok to Facebook. In addition to raising awareness, the goal is to start a conversation about gambling and related choices.
The third phase of the work will be the creation of a curriculum that goes with the video and for MNYA to become the entity that connects people to the help they need. This is in response to the fact that many websites detail problem gambling from an adult perspective rather than a youth perspective. This will include a youth-led focus group so that more information can be gained about what youth are doing with sports betting. The perspective will not be just with casinos, shooting dice, dominos, etc., but will also include how youth are accessing sites such as FanDuel.
“The grant has been wonderful for us as a starter,” says Donnell Bratton, founder and executive director of Minnesota Preparatory Academy. (The Minnesota Preparatory Academy is partnering with the Minneapolis Neighborhood Youth Academy.) It’s really allowed us to raise awareness about gambling to youth of color in North Minneapolis.
An unexpected benefit has been that the work has helped educate adults about what young people are experiencing. “We didn’t know it would turn out like this, so we’re really excited. This has given us a much deeper appreciation for how gambling can affect young people for the future,” says Donnell. “We heard so many stories we didn’t really expect, such as some kids thinking about gambling to provide money for their mother.”
One important eye-opener for youth was learning that they jeopardize sports scholarships if they participate in sports betting. Some can also lose jobs if they are caught gambling.
In partnership with other community organizations, the information learned from MNYA’s gambling awareness efforts is also being communicated to other at-risk groups, including Asian Americans through Asia Media Access.
Jun 2, 2021 | ADVOCACY, PROBLEM GAMBLING, STORIES
I never gambled — or really knew much about it — until a friend suggested we go out and gamble for fun. We were both looking for a way to escape our hurts. I had just gotten divorced from an alcoholic husband and my friend had recently become a widower. I also suffered depression associated with MS, and a gambling outing helped me escape that.
Gambling allowed us to forget about everything. I didn’t have to talk to anyone. I started with maybe $60 per outing but
it escalated. Eventually, I couldn’t stop. I would always need another $100 bill. My friend (who later became my second husband) could sometimes go home making a few hundred dollars, but I never could.
I would gamble for any reason — to celebrate a good day or to help raise my spirits from a bad day. Eventually, after 11 years of gambling, I started thinking I had a gambling problem. I told my husband that I thought I had a problem, but he didn’t believe me. Neither did my in-laws, whose vacations frequently included considerable amounts of gambling.
Once I determined I needed help to keep me from gambling, I explored options. I was hesitant to join a group because I had a poor experience with Al-Anon back when I sought ways to cope with my then- husband’s alcoholism.
I ultimately found a program online that I ordered for $99. I figured I could do the program in the privacy of my own home and figured it had to have value given its cost.
Unfortunately, not being particularly savvy with computers, I needed help setting up the program. I didn’t expect that the person I would call for computer help would be a therapist, but that’s what happened. The person I ended up talking to, Dawn, would become the therapist who would lead me out of the darkness of gambling addiction.
After helping get the program set up, Dawn gently asked some additional questions. Why did I want the program? How serious was I? Had I looked into alternatives? Dawn then said she would check on me in a few weeks to see how I was doing. That started us down the path of telephone counseling, something she was able to get covered by insurance.
I really connected with Dawn, and found myself wanting to follow the program because I didn’t want to disappoint her. She was also the first therapist I had who knew anything about gambling and could explore the connection between gambling and depression.
One thing that I’ve learned about gambling addiction that’s different from other addictions is the randomness of the reward. Someone who drinks or uses drugs knows the impact it will have on them — they will get drunk or high. But gambling is so unpredictable. You could do five spins and win hundreds or lose hundreds. That unpredictability is something gambling addicts love.
I am doing well in my recovery. I lost my second husband to cancer but have not gone back to gambling. I have worked too hard to throw away my freedom from gambling.
COVID, and the related restrictions, has also actually helped me. Even when things reopened, my husband and I were too afraid to go back to the casinos.
As part of my recovery, I told my adult children about my gambling problem. That was a big deal to me. It feels so good to spend the money that I previously spent on gambling on my children and grandchildren instead. I take them out for dinner, get them birthday gifts and spend more time with them. That, not gambling, now means the world to me.
Feb 23, 2021 | ADVOCACY, HEALTHY PLAY, PROFESSIONALS
In September, after nearly 40 years, the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling (MCCG) changed its name to the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health (MACGH). Northern Light discussed this change and its implications with Marlene Warner, executive director of MAGH.
Q: Why was the organization renamed?
Marlene Warner
A: We started talking about this around four years ago. For starters, the term “compulsive gambling” was antiquated. We also became involved with GameSense, which meant we were more focused on the full spectrum from prevention to recovery rather than just intervention. We also heard increasingly from people at casinos and on social media, helplines, etc., about the blurring of lines between gaming and gambling. Since iGaming takes place on the casino floor it made sense to talk about “gaming,” which is more of an all-encompassing term. The “health” aspect of our name reflects that we do more than just intervention — we also want to look at the larger public health implications. The intention of the name is to not only expand our mission but also to designate what we’re truly doing as an organization.
Q: Was there a tipping point in the decision to change the name?
A: It was a gradual thing but in the last two years as we’ve realized the blurred lines between gaming and gambling, so have gaming commissions. Congress has even held hearings on gaming. It became clear to us that this was the next wave and we didn’t want to miss it.
Q: What has the response been to the name change?
A: For the most part, everyone has been incredibly supportive. They thought it was appropriate and future-focused.
Q: Have you made any changes to your training since the name change?
A: The very first thing we did was to work on a certificate program and clinical training program to broaden counselor and clinician knowledge of video gaming in a clinical setting. We want to make sure they’ve been prepared so that when someone presents with a gaming problem, they know how to respond.
Q: How is Massachusetts handing gaming disorder? Are counselors encouraged to take the INTENTA training? (INTENTA is the first approved training provider for the new International Gaming Disorder Certificate (IGDC) by the International Gambling Counselor Certification Board).
A: The training that we’re putting together is sort of a competitor to INTENTA. It’s another option that is a little shorter and less expensive. We are collaborating with the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling and the course is called Foundations in Gaming Disorder. As with INTENTA, it will qualify for international board certification.
Q: Do you plan to measure the impact of the name change, whether through changed attitudes or diminished stigma around gambling disorder?
A: For now, we’re just collecting anecdotal feedback. But a year from now, we’ll want to know we’ve done the right thing. I think we’re gaining a lot of traction. We’re also in the process of putting together a major national study with gambling and gaming stakeholders with major universities. That, alone, has been well received.
Q: Do you think other state councils will make similar name changes?
A: Several fellow state councils have asked us how to do it. Many of us were trained on the idea of calling it “gambling” rather than “gaming” so it takes some fresh thinking. It’s not a change to be done lightly.
